Showered with Love

Two weekends ago my aunt Kathleen and one of my mom's closest friends, Sheila, hosted a baby shower for Raleigh and I at my aunt's house with all of my aunts and my mom's girlfriends. There were about 18 women that attended and absolutely spoiled my baby boy and I with so much love and fabulous gifts. I've always told my parents how fortunate my sister and I are that we were raised among their incredible group of friends, but it's times like this when everyone comes together that you truly see how special of a bond this relationship is - thank you to everyone that was able to attend!

This past weekend was my shower with twenty of my mother-in-laws friends and Steve's aunts, hosted by the fabulous Alison and Carol Becker, but unfortunately I don't think any photos were taken. Just as my sister and I have been so fortunate being raised around such a wonderful "village" of our parents friends, Steve and his brother Scott have had the exact same relationship with their parents friends. The similarities between my parents friends and Mike & Mo's friends is pretty remarkable. My cup (and Raleigh's) overfloweth. Thank you for already spoiling my boy with love.

Raleigh's Future Living Quarters

Over the past couple of months, we've slowly but surely been putting bits and pieces together in the nursery. And even though we're not finished, I decided it was time to share. Being that Steve is a sailor, the only theme we really could go with was nautical. When we first started the project I said "let's not go overboard with the theme" and I'm happy to say that I'm really impressed with where the design has gone and the ideas that Steve has come up with.

We purchased this window pane at an antique store almost two years for about $15 and knew we would find something creative to do with it - well, two years later we did! Steve (very carefully) removed the glass and then had three mirrors cut to size at McLendon's Hardware and sealed them in with an epoxy. Total cost = $22. The antique glass fishing nets floats were purchased at various antique shops for about $3 each.

Steve ordered this wooden sailboat mobile about three years ago after finding it on clearance for half off on an online sailing supply store that was going out of business. Being that he purchases just about anything sailboat related with the intention of eventually using it somewhere, he decided this was a purchase he needed for his future child.

This framed photo was a Christmas gift from my sister this year. If you look closely, you'll see that each photo is a letter and spells out Raleigh. The frame was black so Steve painted it to match the door frame and floor boards. Megs - we absolutely love this photo - thank you so much!

Here are a few more tidbits about the room...

• Wall paint color: Behr Premium Plus - Little Pond
• Crib: Bratt Decor (amazing hand me down from a family friend). The white of the crib didn't match the white of the dresser so Steve took it apart and painted it the same.
• Dresser/Changing Table: Craiglist find for $125. Solid wood and Pottery Barn Kids cira 2005 Here's an original photo of it...
  
• Closet: ClosetMaid Storage from Home Depot.
• Furniture paint color: Rust-Oleum Universal - Satin White.
• Window Valence: Pottery Barn Kids.
• Dresser knobs: Anthropologie. I saw these knobs a few months ago and loved the teal, which matches the crib bedding. Bedding is currently being made by my crafty friend Kelly.
• Rocker Recliner: Presley Cafe Rocker by Ashley Furnture (purchased on sale at Fred Meyer).

Upcoming projects:

• Make wall shelves out of driftwood that we picked up at Harstine Island last weekend
• Make a couple of bookshelves similar to these

Fingers crossed Raleigh enjoys sailing and the water as much as his Dad does otherwise we may be switching things up a bit.

Wishing I Were a Braverman

Are you hooked on Parenthood, yet? If not, join the bandwagon as it is currently the best show on TV.

Don't let the title of this post confuse you...I love my family and I love the family that I married in to, but there is just something about dreaming about being a part of this fictional family that gets me really excited. Honestly, the acting/cast, the character portrayal, the family dynamics, the soundtrack, the story lines are all pretty much remarkable. It's a bit emotional - at least for this pregnant mama that has cried during the last couple of episodes, but the laughter definitely outweighs the tears. I really don't watch that much TV so I guess I'm not the best judge at determining that this is the #1 show, but I just love it! I anxiously await the start of the show each Tuesday night and get sad when the hour is up. If you aren't watching it yet, give it a shot, I can assure you that you won't be disappointed.

Loving the Celebrations

February and March in the Rinabarger house calls for a lot of celebration. Today is Steve's 29th birthday and being as indecisive as I am (moreso than ever with the pregnancy), I had the toughest time deciding on what to get him. Saturday I had my first shower (more on that soon) and that night we got all dolled up and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Barolo (Ahhhh-Mazing!  make your reservation now) for our anniversary so it was time for me to get creative for his special day. Thanks to my dear friend Jenny (whose husband did this for her birthday), I was given the perfect plan - order pizza from a famous Chicago restaurant. I mean how many times do you honestly get to eat a meal that has been sent via overnight FedEx? Rare...right? So, I ordered pizza on Friday from Giodano's and it was delivered today. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the meal because we were too busy savoring each bite, but to see the contents of the box below, click here. Definitely one of the best pizza's I've ever had.

The second part of his gift was four tickets to the Seattle Thunderbirds game (tonight) for birthday boy, his brother and two of his buddies. So, before they left, they enjoyed a few birthday shots from the shotski.  

I've been a bit of a "nester" with the nursery lately, which means every night after work I've had Steve working on projects. Therefore, a night out with the boys was the perfect treat for him. Steve - I hope you had a blast tonight - I Love You. My night was spent catching up on Ellen, Oprah and One Born Every Minute (wowza!)

The Best is Yet to Come

Happy Two Year Anniversary to the man that has made me a better woman. Two years ago today, I married my airport love, my sailor, my younger man, in the most beautiful atmosphere among our nearest and dearest family and friends.

Steve - I love with you all of my heart. I will say "I Do" to you one hundred times over today, tomorrow and forever. Thank you for continuing to fulfill every expectation that I have for you as the man of my dreams.

I Love You
Today I get to celebrate our two years of marriage AND the upcoming arrival of our baby boy at my first baby shower. No wonder I had a tough time sleeping last night, today is going to be a fabulous day!

In Love with Lush

I've been obsessed with the Lush Bath Bombs for a few years, but now that I'm pregnant and enjoy a bath more than ever, I've been using them more often. The four that Santa put in my stocking this year are already gonzo - I'll definitely be buying more soon.  The scents are amazing and your skin has never felt softer after you step out of the bath.

For Christmas, I also received the Lush Fair Trade Foot Lotion and LOVE it! My feet aren't too swollen (yet), but a good foot massage is always such a treat. At first thought, I assumed this was a gift just for me, but Steve has been fortunate enough to reap the benefits as well. Spearmint, peppermint and Arnica (I used this stuff on a daily basis while training for my marathon - miracle worker) are combined to make the perfectly soothing and wonderfully smelling lotion.

And finally, my newest obsession is the Lush Brazened Honey face mask, which I was introduced to by a friend at work. The mask works as a detoxifier and exfoliant and smells of the key ingredients - lime, ginger, parsley, sage, rosemary and tumeric. The exfoliant is made of crushed almond shells. If you're looking for a mask to brighten your skin and clear your pores, I highly recommend this one.

Because this is a fresh mask and must be refrigerated (zero preservatives), it is not available online, otherwise I would have linked.

Happy { Heart } Day

Personally, I feel that you don't need one special day of the year to celebrate your love for someone as this should be practiced on a daily basis, but I figured I'd take today to wish my special Valentine a Happy Heart Day. Unfortunately for Mr. Rina, he has THREE holidays within the next 15 days - Valentine's, Wedding Anniversary and his birthday. Plus, with the fast approaching arrival of our boy in two months, we've got a lot to save for so gifts will not be as large as years past. Therefore, we're planning on celebrating with an extra special heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's and continued work on the nursery...which by the way, is turning out better than I ever could have imagined - all thanks to my handy husband.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

In Awe and Deeply In Love...

With pregnancy and everything that comes along with it. How on EARTH does a 3 lb. 15 inch boy (according to BabyCenter) currently reside in my belly? Everyday he moves, making himself just a bit more comfortable, but I just don't get it - science in general amazes me, but the fact that there is a life inside of me amazes me even more. I could go on and on about the questions and thoughts that race through my mind about my boy on a daily (and middle of the night) basis, but I won't bore you with those details.

Here I am this morning at 30 Weeks (in the nursery)...ummmm...most women give birth around 40 weeks...errrrrr...that's TEN.WEEKS.AWAY people! Chances are, that in less than TEN WEEKS, I will be a mamma and Steve will not only be my husband, but a father and also my baby daddy...awww that has such a sweet sound to it, right? This week, we've been anxiously working away on the nursery and furniture - we're loving the results so far and can't wait for the project to be finished.

What's in a Name?

For Steve and I, we knew years ago that we'd be naming our first boy after his paternal Grandfather who was a World War II veteran and a member of the famous Black Sheep Squadron - his name was Roland "Rollie" Rinabarger. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but fell in love with the idea of naming our son after him.  So, since the day we found out we were having a boy, we've referred to him by his name and every time I hear Steve say it, I get a smile on my face. We've altered the spelling a bit, but the full name of our son is...

Raleigh John Rinabarger

I took this photo when we spent the weekend out at Seabrook, two weeks ago, for my mother-in-laws birthday. I hadn't been to the WA coast in years and despite the rain absolutely loved it.  This "new" town is adorable!  Can't wait to go back when it's sunny out.

As you can tell, I'm a bit behind in blogging as our office is in the process of being transformed into the nursery (more to come on that) and our guest room, living room and dining room have now become our temporary storage.  All in all, Life is good and I'm counting down the days until I get to meet my baby boy.

Sleeping Through the Night

Because of my beloved Snoogle

Seriously...if you are an expectant mom and experiencing any sort of sleep deprivation, buy this pillow - it's a dream come true (pun intended). It's so dreamy, that it may become a permanent fixture (or blockade as Steve likes to refer to it) in our bed. I bought mine at Babies R Us, but you can also order online. Speaking of Babies R Us, we had to get some registering done and went last night at 9pm (after stopping and buying our rocker/recliner - woohoo!) and it was perfect...we were pretty much the only people in the store - made things very easy. Made me realize (once again) how lucky I am to have such an easy going husband - his only request was for a bag of microwave popcorn waiting in the car for the 15 minute drive.

Now I'm curious...in a few months when my sweet boy wakes me up in the middle of the night, will the Snoogle get me back to sleep? I sure hope so!

* A huge thank you to my mamma friend Courtney for the advice on this gem.

* Happy Birthday *

To my Dad...J.Coff...Father John...John-Boy
The Best Dad and soon-to-be Best Grandpa in the World

Along with 35 of my Dad's nearest and dearest friends and family, Megs and I (with the help of some of our parents friends) threw our Dad a surprise birthday party on Saturday. For anyone that knows our Dad, they know that he is a modest man that would never want to be the center of attention especially to celebrate him. Thankfully, this surprise went off without a hitch and he was shocked when he walked through the door. The evening turned out to be perfect. Everyone that was there to celebrate with us holds a special place in my Dad's heart and I'm thankful that they were all there to celebrate this amazing guy.

Happy Birthday John-Boy...hope you enjoyed your day off today. We Love You!

Thank you to JOAT for the fabulous cupcakes and thank you to Steve for finding the half pint carton's of milk (my Dad loves milk...especially with dessert so it was only fitting to serve it with the cupcakes).

* 25 Weeks *

You'd think as a photographer, that I'd take a bit more of an effort in working on my personal pregnancy photos, but I haven't...I'll work on that in the upcoming weeks. I'll also work on moving "updating my blog" further up on my priority list.

Here I am before work this morning - 25 weeks tomorrow and feeling awesome. He's definitely become quite the active guy. Highlight of the past couple of weeks was when Steve actually got to feel some of his movements - Melted.My.Heart.

I put on one of my two pairs of maternity pants for the first time on Tuesday and fell madly in love. I truly didn't "pop" until about a week ago so I've been sticking with my pants from the previous post, but these pants are a dream!

Next post might be an update on my fabulous holidays spent with friends and family, etc, but we'll see about that because after work I sometimes just prefer hanging out with my hubby, and catching up with my friends Chelsea Handler, Ellen and Oprah instead of more time in front of the computer.

A New Fad?

Disclaimer: I love fashion, but I'd never consider myself a fashionista...

But apparently, now that I'm into my 5th month of my pregnancy and my normal clothes are a bit snug, I'm now officialy "with the times"...at least according to the teenagers that shop at Brass Plum at Nordstroms BECAUSE as of this past weekend, I'm now an owner of three pairs of ELASTIC WAISTED JEANS! Seriously...whomever from the fashion world decided that elastic waists would be back IN could not have timed this more perfectly for me. Also, a huge thank you to my dear friend Michelle (who is not pregnant) for introducing me to these jeans. I oftentimes copy her fashion ideas and can not thank her enough for grabbing these jeans off the rack for me.

A few key words in the online description that made me smile...

Second Disclaimer (Marge - I sound like you): These jeans are not for pregnant women only as a few of my non-pregnant friends have gone out and purchased them (per Michelle's advice) and love them as much as I do. Check them out here...rumor has it they're currently on sale.

Holiday Season is in Full Swing

It's no secret, I LOVE Christmas and everything about it...actually I take that back...the one thing I don't love is the Christmas Shoes song. If the options in a game of "Would you Rather" were to listen to Christmas Shoes on repeat OR listen to nails on chalkboard for an hour - I'd pick the latter. Is that mean to say I don't like a Chistmas song? Hopefully, this comment doesn't prevent Santa from showing up at my house this year. As I've mentioned before, I have my Pandora set to Christmas music, all day, everyday so it was of no surprise to me when an email appeared from Pandora today asking me to take a Christmas music survey. I thought the questions were kinda cute and figured I'd share...so here you go...(if you're bored, I'd love to see what your answers are - I've put an * next to mine)

What song would you most like to hear while being kissed under a Mistletoe?
Santa Baby
*All I Want for Christmas is You
I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
A Holly Jolly Christmas

What song would send you running out of the mall store the quickest?
Anything sung by a Muppet
*Anything sung by a Chipmunk
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

What song is most likely to make you book tickets home for Christmas?
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Wonderful Christmastime
*It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Orinoco Flow by Enya

Where do you most like hearing holiday music?
*At home in front of a fire
In the car
In the mall
While shopping for gifts online
Outside, Christmas tree shopping

What holiday song are you most likely to sing along to?
Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer
Frosty the Snowman
*It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Silver Bells
Hells Bells by AC/DC

Overall, holiday music makes you feel:
Jolly
*Merry
Cozy
Eggnoggy
Full of Good Cheer

After recomendations from a couple of friends, I finally make the trek out to Trader Joes in Kirkland (Higher-ups of TJ's: if you're reading this, PLEASE bring one to Kent!!) and bought the Chewy Eggnog Cookies - honestly, the most chewy delicious-ness ever...the box needs to be taken away from me, but I think baby is really enjoying them and who steals from a baby? I also caved and bought the Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Butter Cookies and I'll be giving those a taste test tonight...the name alone scares me, but I can't pass up a new treat.

Each year we add new ornaments to our collection from trips we've gone on throughout the year. This year we added about four different boat ornaments bought during our trip back east - any sailboat or fishing boat we come across is usually purchased. BUT the coolest ornament on our tree this year was a gift from my brother-in-laws girlfriend Chelsea - how cute and thoughtful is this??

"Ohhhhh We're Halfway There..."

Woah Livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear
Woah Livin' on a prayer- The sweet words of Bon Jovi 

Today marks the official halfway point (20 weeks) of Baby Rinabarger's life in utero. So, in honor of his tiny little body and this milestone, I figured I'd post a photo of my progress. As I've said to many that ask, there isn't much to see, but here you go. Please forgive the cell phone photo quality - I was going to have Steve take a photo, but he left before I was ready this morning. As I'm typing, he's quite active right now - probably curious as to when he'll be fed lunch.

In other news, I'm proudly sporting my Cougar shirt today amongst a large group of huskies and hoping that every bit of Courgar pride, I can contribute, will help them pull out an upset victory tomorrow in Pullman.